Stay in Myanmar on back-to-back tourist e-visas?

[simon43]

I've been teaching in Myanmar for several years, and my school employer is the sponsor of my multi-entry, one-year business visa.

 

At the end of this month, my teaching job comes to an end because I have resigned so that I can devote more time/effort to my educational charity work for Burmese students.

 

Without a new employer to sponsor a business visa, it is difficult for me to legally live in Myanmar, (there being no 'retirement' visa option, and marriage to a Burmese gal for the social visa is not top of my preferred options!).

 

My plan was to relocate to either Mae Sot or Ranong, and then travel regularly into Myanmar to continue my charity efforts and to post off boxes of school text-books from the bus station in Myanmar, (the best way to send boxes of books to distant schools).

 

It would be much more effective if I could continue to live in Myanmar full-time.  The only option that I can see is to get a tourist visa and then do back-to-back visa runs into Thailand, (where I have a Thailand elite visa, so multiple visits to Thailand are not a problem).

 

Does anyone know if back-to-back visa runs are 'tolerated' by the Myanmar authorities?

 

Is there any other viable option for me to reside in Myanmar if I am not working for a local employer? (I am willing to do some part-time voluntary teaching for a school if that can secure me their support documents to get a business visa).

[Argus Tuft]

PM sent

[phuketrichard]

u spent 500,000 on an elite visa and you dont even live here??The mind boggles

 

AFAIK  there is NO limit on the number if tourist visas u can get

NOTE; next year u might be able to save the $50

 

Quote

YANGON—As an initial phase of implementing its new tourism strategy, the tourism ministry launched a free-visa system for tourists from Japan, South Korean and China’s Hong Kong and Macau on Monday. The move is likely to be followed in the coming years by the lifting of visa requirements for citizens of another 21 countries—especially western countries—in an effort to counter the fall in tourist arrivals to the country since the 2017 Rohingya crisis.

The relaxing of visa stipulations for visitors from western countries has been lobbied by the Myanmar Tourism Federation (MTF) to the National League for Democracy (NLD) government since early this year. MTF’s vice chairman U Khin Aung Tun told The Irrawaddy that included those from France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Australia, UK and US, Russia and India as well as a few Scandinavian countries.

U Khin Aung Tun said that his association has urged the government to shift visa application barriers for the aforementioned 21 countries starting from early 2019 and the new approach is under consideration at the Union government.

https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/first-tourists-arrive-new-free-visa-system-21-western-countries-added.html

 

[jphasia]

This is not totally related but I have wondering about back to back visa in Myanmar.
I have been working in Myanmar for the last 6 years on 1 year business visa multiple entries. So at the end of each visa every year, I am heading the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok to get a new one. I never been questioned so far for the last 6 years. I have not been worry that much because I am travelling a lot between both countries and it justified the need of this type of visa. Also, i have a multiple entries for Thailand where I am living.
Now, my wife who is Thai is coming to Myanmar to stay with me. She is coming on visa exempt, so 14 days stay. She basically stay 14 days in Myanmar, going back to Thailand for one or 2 week maximum (sometime only for the weekend) then come back to Myanmar again for another 14 days. This for the last 6 years. She never been questioned at the Myanmar immigration but I am wondering when they will start...

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[Tomtomtom69]

Almost certainly yes - you can do back-to-back tourist e-visas. Myanmar isn't Thailand (yet) and they will likely tolerate such actions for some years to come. However, I would look into the possibility of a company sponsoring you for a business visa and using that instead. It's actually less hassle in the long-term as you get 70 days per stay and getting a business visa is very easy, including the e-visa variety.